Junction-box.



B. T. GREENPIELD.

JUNCTION BOX.

APPLIOATION FILED 001219, 1907.

91 6,436. Patented Mar. 30, 1909.

WITNESSES: lNvENToR To4 all when?J 'it may concer/n:

EDWIN T. GREENFIELD, OF KIAMESHA, NEW YORK. l

JUNCTION- B OX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented March 3o, 1909..

Application filed October 19, 1907. Seria1 N o. 398,164.

I Be itl known that I, EDWIN T. GREEN- rlELD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kiamesha, in the county of Sullivan and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Junction-Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to junction-boxes for use in installing electric apparatus in buildings, and its object is to effect certain improvements in the construction of such boxes whereby the ends of the conductors may be more conveniently secured in position lrelatively to the box and the box may be readily mounted rigidly in its opening in the wall 'or vother support.

One 'feature of the invention lies in the provision of a box having a bottom portion separable from the side walls of the box and to which the ends of the conductors entering the box may be readily secured while the bottom portion is separated from the side walls, so that the hands of the operator are not obstructed by the side walls of the box. When the ends of the conductors have been secured to this' bottom portion, the latter may be quickly fastened to the side walls Vand the complete box mounted in the opening in the Wall.

Another feature of the invention resides in the provision of ,improved means for securing the box to the wall. Heretofore it has been the practice to rovide such'junction-boxes with lateral f anges or brackets having openings therethrough and to pass screws or nails through these openings and drive them into the plaster and laths of the wall. Often-a box so mounted is not rigidly held, as the plastering crumbles away and the screws or nails are quite apt to split the ends of the laths. In accordance with the invention, clamping members are provided extending outwardly from opposite sides of the box and adjustable relatively to the depth of the box, 'in order to clamp the ends of the laths between them and outwardly extending flanges formed' on the sides of the box at the mouth thereof. I have found in practice that by clamping the box to the wall in this manner, rather .than by using screws or lnails as has been done heretofore, a much more rigid mounting of i, the box is obtained.

The preferred embodiment of the invenopenings therethrough.

tion is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-,

Figure 1 is an elevation of the box; Figs. 2 and 3 are transverse sections thereof on lines 2-2 and 3-3, respectively, of Fig. 4; Fig. 4 is a top View of the box; and Fig. 5 is a perspective view' of the separable bottom portion broken away in part.

Referring to these drawings, the box consists of side walls A, which may be formed from ablank of sheet-metal bent to form the four walls of the box and bring the edges of 'the blank together, these edges being secured together in any suitable manner. At the mouth of the box, flanges a are provided, extending outwardly from opposite .sides of the 'box and provided with The bottom portion B of the box is a rectangular sheetmetal plate having an upwardly extending flange b around the four ,sides thereof. The bottom portion B is of such size that, when it 'and the side walls are assembled, the upper edge of this flange abuts the'lower edge of the side walls A. A number of circular openings are cut in the side walls of the-box near the bottom thereof, onehalf of each of these openings being in the portion A and the other half being in the vflange b. Within the base portion B s a rectangular piece C consisting of a strip of sheet-metal bent to rectangular form to bring the ends of the strip together. This piece C is of siich size .that 1t lits snugly within the flange b on the bottom port1on B. At opposite sides of the member C, ears c are punched out and turned inwardly at a right angle to the walls of the member C, and each of these ears has an opening therethrough to receive a screw c. The ends of these screws extend through openings in the base portion B to secure the member C thereto. Themetal of the member C directly back of each of the openings in the side walls of the box is partially punched out or entirely punched out and a plug reinserted in the'opening, so that the metal may be readily d1splaced, as by a blow of a hammer, in order .to provide an opening for a conductor through one of the side walls of the box.

byscrews cl. The side members of this` spring are of such length that outwardly bent ears d at the upper ends thereof will take over the upper edge of the side walls ofthe part A, in order to secure the side walls to the bottom portion B with their edges abutting, as shown in Fig. 2'.

In the side walls of the box, rectangular openings are formed through each of which passes a clamping member E having one or more tangs e at its outer end. Each of these clampingj members is secured at its inner end to a small metal plate e of such size that in any position of the clamping member E the plate e closes the opening in the side wall of the box ,through which the member E extends. Screws e2 passing through the openings in the flanges a at the mouth of the box enter threaded openings in the clamping members E, so that by turn-A ing these screws the clamping members are adjusted relatively yto the depth ofthe box.`

-In using'ithe box, the bottom portion B is separated from the side walls A by pressing the arms of the spring D inwardly until the ears d release the side walls A. Such of the plugs in the rectangular portion C as may be necessary. are removed and the conductors are passed through the, openings formed by the removal of these plugs. The screws c are then tightened to draw lthe rectangular member C down into the bottom portion B of the box until the conductors are securely clamped between the walls of the member() and the flange b which form the opening through which the conductor extends. The side members of the'spring D are then passed upwardly'within the side walls A of the box until the ears d thereof snap over the upper edge of the side walls and thus hold the bottom portion of the box to the side walls with the edges thereof abutting. The box is then ready to be installed in the opening in thew'all. This is done by loosening the screws e2 until they release the clamping members E and withdrawing those members through their respective openings in the sidewalls of the box. When the box has been placed in its opening in the wall, these clamping members are again passed throughl the openings in the lside walls until the plates ge 'lie against the side walls of the box, and the ends of the screws e2 are then threaded into the openings in the clamping members E. Then by tightening up the screws e2, the clamping members will be drawn upwardly toward the flanges a until they grip the laths and plastering of the wall between them andthe flanges a. This being done, the box is nallv held in positionl and there is little danger of it becoming loose due to crumbling of the plastering or splitting of the laths.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new therein and `desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is as ,tion independently of the Side walls, and

means for securing the bottom portion and the side walls togetherz'substantially as seti forth.

2. A junction box consisting of side walls and a bottom portion formed separately and the depth of the bottom portion being small relatively to the depth of the side walls, said bottom :portion being formed to provide openings in the walls thereof for conductors, clamping means on the bottom portion for gripping the conductors to the bottom por.- tion independently of the side walls, and a spring for securing the bottom portion and the side walls together, substantially as Set forth. f v f 3. A junction box havinga shallow rectangular bottom portion, the walls of which are formed to provide openings for conductors, a rectangular clamping member fitting within the side walls ofthe bottom portion, means for positioning the clamping member within the bottom portion to cause it to grip the conductors, side walls for the box formed separate from the bottom, portion, and a flat spring secured to the bottom portionA and engaging the side walls to secure the bottom portion and side wallstogether, substantially as set forth.' l

4;. A junction box having .side walls, a

`bottom portion separate therefrom, said bottom portion v being formed to provide openings through which conductors may ex- ,j

tend, a fiat spring secured to the bottom pon-5 tion and engaging the side walls to secure the bottom portion and the Side walls t0- gether, and means for clamping the conductors to the box, substantially as set forth. 5., A juiictionbox" .having a shallow rectangular bottom portion, thewalls of which are formed to provide openings for conductors, a rectangular clamping member fitting withinthe side walls of theQbott'm.

portion, means for positioning the clamping the conductors, side walls for the box formed 6. The .combination of a supportl haning.v

an opening therein, a junction box .in said opening, outwardly extending flanges on op- 'i posite sides of the box at the mouth thereof,

12o. member within the bottom portion to grip i clamping members adj ustably mounted upon the sides of the box, and means for drawing said members toward said anges to grip the support and hold the box 1n position, substantially as set forth.

7. A junction box having outwardly extending angespn opposite sides thereof and openings in the 51de walls adjacent to said flanges, clamping members extending 10 through said openings, plates on the inner ends of said members closing said openings, and means for adjusting the clamping members toward and away from sald flanges,

4substantially as set forth.

This specification signed and witnessed l5 this 18th day of October, 1907.

EDWIN T. GREENFIELD. Witnesses: WILLIAM T. RUETE,

CHAS. E. WILSON. 

